So, you want to buy a new car and you like the idea of buying the “most American” car possible. What do you buy?
Well, it depends on which survey you select, although both a study by the Kogod School of Business at American University in Washington, D.C., and another by cars.com would have you buying a 2020 Ford Ranger.
The American U. study reports that 70 percent of the Ranger’s content comes from the US and Canada, including its engine and transmission, and with final assembly at Wayne, Michigan. cars.com also says the Ranger is No. 1.
But the two lists diverge after the Ranger.
American U. says the rest of the top 10 — which actually encompasses 11 vehicles — comprises:
2nd — Chevrolet Camaro with automatic transmission
tied for 3rd — Chevrolet Corvette and gas-engine Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon
tied for 4th — Jeep Cherokee Latitude AWD and Cherokee Trailhawk tied for 5th — Ford Explorer 3.0-liter, Cadillac CT4 and GT5, Tesla Model S and Y
But cars.com disagrees, rating its Nos. 2-10 as the Jeep Cherokee, Tesla Models 5 and 3, Honda Odyssey, Ridgeline and Passport, Chevrolet Corvette, Tesla Model X and Chevrolet Colorado (one spot ahead of the nearly identical GMC Canyon).
So why the differences? The American U. list is weighted toward the source of components while cars.com list focuses on where cars are manufactured/assembled.
